[themaclad]

Keshi Anderson has signed a one-year deal at Birmingham City.

The forward left Blackpool at the end of his contract last month and has been on trial at St Andrew's in recent weeks.

The 28-year-old Crystal Palace product was allowed to leave the Seasiders with the club unable to offer him a deal.

Anderson has featured for Birmingham in preseason friendlies against Solihull Moors, Cartagena and Northampton, registering two assists.

Able to play as a winger or striker, Anderson was a key player as Blackpool were promoted to the Championship in 2021.

After failing to make a first-team appearance at Palace, he had loan spells at Doncaster, Bolton, Northampton and Swindon, with the latter signing him permanently before his move to Blackpool.

"I have been here three weeks now, so I got to know the boys, got to know the place well, and enjoyed my time so far," Anderson told the Blues website.

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Birmingham City have signed defender Lee Buchanan from German club Werder Bremen for an undisclosed fee.

The 22-year-old is Blues' ninth signing of the transfer window and has agreed a five-year deal.

The left-back began his career at Derby County but moved to the Bundesliga last summer, where he made 23 appearances.

"Moving back to England was something I wanted and I think I've found the perfect club to go and perform well on the pitch," he told the club website.

Buchanan was only 18 when he made his English Football League debut for Derby against West Brom in August 2019.

The England Under-21 international played 75 games for the Rams across three seasons before deciding to leave in the wake of their relegation to League One.

A legal loophole allowed him to do so, but Werder Bremen had to pay a compensation fee, thought to be six figures, because of his age at the time.

Birmingham start the new Championship campaign with a trip to Swansea City on 5 August.

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Birmingham City have made their ninth summer transfer window signing by bringing in striker Jay Stansfield on loan from Premier League side Fulham.

Blues say they have beaten off "more than a dozen" clubs to persuade 20-year-old Devon-born Stansfield to move to St Andrew's for a season-long stay.

Stansfield has played eight times for Fulham since signing in January 2020.

That includes his first senior goal, which came at St Andrew's in an EFL Cup tie against Blues in August 2021.

He was loaned back out to his late father Adam Stansfield's old side Exeter City last season, capping his time at his boyhood club with a final-day hat-trick to relegate Morecambe from League One.

"I have been in contact with a lot of people in the last three or four weeks and I made the decision to come here," said Stansfield.

"It has been a long time coming. It is a family club and I can't wait to get started. I am buzzing."

Blues stadium work at St Andrew's delayed
Blues are under American ownership following Tom Wagner's summer takeover, which now also includes investment from global sporting legend Tom Brady.

The signings of Leeds United striker Tyler Roberts, Royal Antwerp winger Koji Miyoshi, Derby County midfielder Krystian Bielik, Manchester United defender Ethan Laird, Bournemouth winger Siriki Dembele, Wolves defender Dion Sanderson, Blackpool forward Keshi Anderson and Werder Bremen defender Lee Buchanan have helped John Eustace's side make an unbeaten start to the campaign.

Blues have picked up seven points from a possible nine and are through to the second round of the EFL Cup, in which they host Cardiff City on Tuesday.

[themaclad]

Birmingham City have signed defender Emanuel Aiwu on loan from Italian club Cremonese for the rest of the season.

The 22-year-old Austrian is the 11th summer signing by City, who have taken 10 points from their first four Championship games of the new season.

Aiwu made 23 appearances for Cremonese in Serie A in 2022-23, but they were relegated after finishing 19th.

He began his career with St Polten and Admira Wacker and also had a spell with Rapid Vienna before moving to Italy .

Birmingham City have signed Leeds United's England Under-21 defender Cody Drameh on a season-long loan.

The Blues have made the right-back their 12th signing of the summer as they seek to extend their unbeaten start to the Championship season.

Drameh spent the second half of last season on loan at Luton, helping the Hatters go up to the Premier League.

A product of the Fulham youth system, Drameh joined Leeds in 2021 and has also spent time on loan at Cardiff.

"It is a project. It is very exciting right now with the new owners and everything. Everybody has a good buzz around them, it seems like a family sort of vibe - that made me want to come here," Drameh said.

[themaclad]

Birmingham City have taken their total of summer signings to 13 by making the deadline day loan signings of Leeds United's Cody Drameh and Scotland international Oliver Burke.

England Under-21 defender Drameh, 21, and Werder Bremen's former West Brom winger Oliver Burke, 26, have both signed on a season-long loan.

Blues have also given midfielder George Hall a new three-year contract.

The teenager is now tied to St Andrew's until at least June 2026.

Blues sign defender Aiwu from Cremonese
The latest from a line of Blues academy products that included the Bellingham brothers, Hall made his debut as a 17-year-old two seasons ago,

Drameh, a product of the Fulham youth system, joined Leeds in 2021, since when he has also spent time on loan at Cardiff City, as well as Luton.

He spent the second half of last season on loan at Luton, helping the Hatters go up to the Premier League.

Burke began with Nottingham Forest before moving to Red Bull Leipzig and then on to Albion, since when he has been with Celtic, Alaves, Sheffield United and Millwall before last season's move to Bremen.

John Eustace's Blues have made an unbeaten start in the Championship.

[themaclad]

Birmingham City have signed Queens Park Rangers midfielder Andre Dozzell on loan for the rest of the season.

The 24-year-old ex-Ipswich Town player - the son of Tony Mowbray's former Ipswich team-mate Jason Dozzell - becomes new Blues boss Mowbray's first signing since taking over.

He has been signed in time to be considered for selection for Saturday's Championship derby against Stoke City.

Dozzell, bought from Ipswich in 2021, has figured regularly this term.

Blues have 'got lots of plates spinning', says Mowbray
He has made 25 league appearances, taking his total to 98 for the west London club.

"I am buzzing," said Dozzell. "It has been a hectic couple of days and a quick turnaround but now I am just thankful that I am here.

"I am ready to repay the people that have brought me here."

[themaclad]

Birmingham City have made their second January transfer window signing by bringing in South Korea midfielder Paik Seung-ho.

Subject to international clearance, 26-year-old Paik has left South Korean top flight side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors for Blues on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

"Since I was young and started to watch football, one of my dreams was to come to England and play football," he said.

"When I heard Birmingham was interested in me, I was really happy."

Having tied himself to the Championship club until June 2026, the former Barcelona youth product added: "I have known the club since I was a young kid. So, after meeting the manager and directors, I decided to come here.

"I am really happy to be part of this club. I am really excited. I can't wait to start."

Capped 15 times by his country, Paik was part of the South Korea squad at the 2022 World Cup, firing a long-range consolation effort past Liverpool's Alisson in their 4-1 last 16 defeat by Brazil.

He follows the loan signing last week of QPR midfielder Andre Dozzell, who was new Blues boss Tony Mowbray's first signing.

Blues have also been boosted by the news that nine-goal top scorer Jay Stansfield will be staying for the rest of the season.

Fulham could have recalled Stansfield, with other clubs keen to get their hands on him, but last week's deadline passed and Mowbray now knows he has him until May.

Blues are 20th in the Championship table, seven points clear of trouble, having so far picked up four points from their first two Championship games following the sacking of Wayne Rooney.

Paik could figure in this Saturday's Championship derby with West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns.

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Birmingham have signed midfielder Alex Pritchard from fellow Championship side Sunderland for an undisclosed fee.

The 30-year-old midfielder will be reunited with his former Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray after signing a two-and-a-half-year contract.

Pritchard, who becomes Birmingham's third signing of the window, told Sunderland last week he wanted a move.

He follows the signings of midfielders Andre Dozzell, from QPR, and South Korea international Paik Seung-ho.

Blues are 20th in the Championship, 13 places but only 11 points behind Sunderland.

If he plays this weekend against West Bromwich Albion, Pritchard will be up against one of his eight former clubs.

He made two Premier League loan appearances for Albion in 2016, each time coming off the bench to replace Craig Gardner, who is now Birmingham's technical director - and arranged the transfer.

The end of Pritchard's time on Wearside
After being signed by then Sunderland boss Lee Johnson in July 2021, Pritchard scored nine goals in 115 games for the Wearsiders.

He helped them gain promotion from League One under Alex Neil in 2022, and they then reached last season's Championship play-offs under Mowbray, but his contract was due to expire this summer.

The Wearsiders issued a statement on Saturday saying: "On Friday morning, Alex Pritchard informed the club that he was no longer available for selection. He also expressed his desire to leave with immediate effect."

Former Tottenham Hotspur trainee Pritchard has so far made 344 career appearances, having making his professional debut in February 2013 while on loan at Peterborough United.

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Birmingham City are releasing five players following the club's relegation from the Championship.

Marc Roberts, Scott Hogan, Ivan Sunjic, Gary Gardner and Neil Etheridge will all leave Blues when their contracts expire.

But experienced duo Lukas Jutkiewicz and John Ruddy have both been offered new deals.

Blues will play third-tier football next season for the first time in 29 years.

Between them, the five players to leave St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park have amassed 795 games for the club.

All five have been at the club for at least four seasons, although in that period Birmingham have never finished higher than 17th.

But their departures are part of a big rebuilding job across the squad following a disastrous season which culminated in relegation on the final day.

They sacked John Eustace in October when sixth in the league, and then had a terrible spell under Wayne Rooney before he left in January.

His replacement Tony Mowbray was taken ill in February and had to stand down with interim manager Gary Rowett unable to pick up enough points in the last eight games to keep them up.

[themaclad]

Former interim boss Mark Venus has left Birmingham City following last month's resignation of manager Tony Mowbray.

Venus took charge of the team for six games after Mowbray stepped away from his role in February for medical reasons.

Blues managed only one point from those six matches - a 1-1 draw with Hull City on 5 March.

Venus, 57, stayed on as assistant manager under Gary Rowett when a further change was made later that month.

Blues were eventually relegated from the Championship, finishing 22nd in the table, one point below Plymouth Argyle.

Next season they will play in the third tier of English football for the first time since 1995.

Former defender Venus previously worked alongside Mowbray at several clubs including West Bromwich Albion, Celtic, Middlesbrough, Blackburn and Sunderland.